Lonely Planet Laos
Page 42
Due to the size of the area and the serene setting, the best way to visit is to spend the night.
Tayicseua sits off the main paved road 43km from Paksong. Coming from the east it's 4km from the paved road to the signed entrance. For the most part, this dirt road is fine, but there are some steep, rough spots that require care on a motorcycle, especially in the rainy season. The longer dirt road from the west is much smoother.
Tat ChampeeWATERFALL
(ຕາດຈຳປີ GOOGLE MAP ; Rte 16, Km 38; admission 5000K, motorcycle/car 3000/5000K)
Not to be confused with the far inferior waterfall of the same name along Rte 20 on the way to Tad Lo, this is the smallest of the four waterfalls west of Paksong, but it's the most fun to visit. A good set of concrete steps leads down to an up-close viewpoint, then a sketchy wooden staircase or a longer footpath takes you down to the river, where you can swim and even go behind the waterfall.
The 2km road leading to it (which begins directly across from the road to Tat Fan) is a bit rough, so it’s the only waterfall around Paksong that doesn't get crowded. The access road is 12km from Paksong.
Tat KatamtokWATERFALL
(ຕາດກະຕາມຕົກ )
Running off the Bolaven Plateau, the Huay Katam drops more than 100m out of thick forest at Tat Katamtok. These beautiful falls are made even more impressive by their relative isolation – there are no concessions or other facilities here. While on the one hand this isolation is appealing, it has facilitated some violent robberies. Ask motorcycle-hire companies in Pakse if the situation has changed before you visit.
KAA-FéH LáO (LAO COFFEE)
The high, flat ground; fertile, mineral-rich volcanic soils; and heavy rainfall of the Bolaven Plateau are ideal for growing coffee and the region produces some of the best and most expensive beans on earth: Arabica, Arabica Typica and Robusta are all grown here. The 'coffee town' of Paksong is at the centre of it all.
The French introduced coffee to the Bolaven Plateau in the early 1900s and the Arabica Typica shipped home became known as the 'champagne of coffee'. The carpet bombing of the '60s and '70s put the brakes on the business, but things began to pick up in the 1990s and now nearly 30,000 tonnes of green coffee beans – 90% of all coffee produced in Laos – are grown in Paksong and the adjacent Tha Taeng districts.
Though the money provided by growing coffee has benefited thousands of people in the area, particularly women, water pollution and deforestation are serious downsides to the coffee boom.
The largest producer is Pakse-based Dao Heung. You'll see the factory on the drive up to Paksong, as well as the owner's outrageous mansion in Pakse, next to the Japanese bridge.
Two very different coffee shops in Paksong, Won Coffee and Jhai Coffee House (just 200m from each other, on the south side of the road in the centre of town near the hospital), offer top-shelf brews and educational coffee tours. These tours should be booked in advance, but you can try your luck just showing up.
2Activities
Rafting and kayaking trips are possible on Huay Bang Lieng, the river that feeds Tat Fan, during the wet season from July to November. For details speak to Green Discovery in Pakse.
TTours
Jhai Coffee Farmers Co-operative ToursTOURS
( GOOGLE MAP ; %020-97672424; www.jhaicoffeehouse.com; Rte 16; tour per person 150,000K)
Part of the philanthropic Jhai Coffee House, these half-day tours run from 9am to noon and go out to a local farmer's home and plantation for a 'bean to cup' lesson on the coffee business. They are only offered between October and January (the picking season), but a 45-minute 'small' tour (50,000K per person) around the coffee shop is available at any time.
Koffie's Coffee ToursTOURS
( GOOGLE MAP ; %020-22760439; www.paksong.info; coffee tour per person 50,000K, coffee tour with roasting workshop per person 180,000K)
'Mr Koffie', an expat Dutch coffee connoisseur, has been leading coffee tours around Paksong for nearly a decade. On the regular two-hour tour you'll get a look at growing, harvesting and processing coffee, and also sample some local brews. Add the afternoon roasting workshop and you'll finish the day with a cup you brewed yourself and a bag of beans to take home. Tours start at 10am at Won Coffee.
4Sleeping
oTayicseua GuesthouseGUESTHOUSE$
(%020-29878926; www.tayicseua.com; dm 60,000K; W)
This friendly spot surrounded by seven large waterfalls deserves its rave reviews. You'll fall asleep to tumbling water and wake up to birdsong from under mosquito nets in rustic bamboo huts (or your own tent) and share the hot-water showers. A communal lodge overlooks the distant mists of Tat Jariem deep in the valley below. Simple meals cost 20,000K.
Mystic Mountain CoffeeHOMESTAY$
(%020-99661333; www.mysticmountain.coffee; r per person 50,000K)
Friendly Mr Khamsone has built a bamboo and wood room with two beds at his remote coffee plantation. Though facilities are super simple, you'll be well cared for by his family. He's also a tour guide, so most of his guests include his homestay as part of a bigger trip around the area in his classic Jeep. It's about 12km north of Paksong on the rough road to Lao Ngam. Reservations required. Meals are 20,000 to 25,000K.
Sinouk Coffee ResortBOUTIQUE HOTEL$$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %030-9558960; www.sinoukcoffeeresort.com; r US$40-90; naiW)
Set beside a babbling brook on a working coffee plantation 32km northeast of Paksong on the road to Tha Taeng, there's a hill-station feel here. Like its sister lodge, Pakse's Residence Sisouk, it's loaded with indigenous textiles, period furniture and framed old-world photos. It's also worth stopping in for a meal (mains 25,000K to 75,000K) amidst the manicured gardens if you're passing by.
Baan E-Tu Waterfall ResortRESORT$$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %020-28347766, Thailand 0066 81 9177264; www.baanetuwaterfallresort.com; Rte 16, Km 35; r incl breakfast 276,000-391,000K; W)
Set on a former coffee and tea plantation 15km west of Paksong, the smart bungalows at this sprawling resort have polished wooden floors, ultrasoft beds and – in the priciest rooms – large balconies within earshot of Tat E-Tu. New management seems to have improved the old service. Wi-fi is only available in the lobby and restaurant.
6Drinking & Nightlife
Jhai Coffee HouseCOFFEE
( GOOGLE MAP ; www.jhaicoffeehouse.com; Rte 16; coffee from 10,000K; h8.30am-5.30pm; W)
Billing itself as the world’s first completely philanthropic coffee roaster and cafe located at the source, Jhai buys its beans at fair-trade prices from the Jhai Coffee Farmer Cooperative and puts 100% of profits back into local water and hygiene projects. It's a surprising little oasis with perfect coffee, plus a limited food menu during the high season. It's in the centre of Paksong town: you can't miss the black coffee sign.
Won CoffeeCOFFEE
( GOOGLE MAP ; Rte 16; coffee from 10,000K; h7am-5.30pm; W)
Though run in part by 'Mr Koffie', this is very much a local spot. Besides regular organic coffees, he produces his own civet-excreted kopi luwak (30,000K per cup or 250,000K per 100g) and leads coffee tours. It's in the centre of town. Look for the mushroom-shaped tables and chairs and a white sign with blue and red letters reading 'Fresh roasted coffe'.
8Getting There & Away
Travel by hired motorcycle is best, but all buses heading east from Pakse can drop you in Paksong (fan/air-con 15,000/20,000K, 90 minutes) or near any of the waterfalls to the west of town. For Tayicseua, take an Attapeu bus, but make sure it's one using the direct route rather than going via Sekong.
Tat Lo ຕາດເລາະ
%030
Tat Lo (ຕາດເລາະ; pronounced đàat láw) has taken a place on the backpacker trail thanks to an attractive setting, cheap accommodation and some beautiful waterfalls. It lacks the party scene of Don Det and Vang Vieng, and locals are set on it staying this way. Thankfully, several Westerners who have settled here and opened businesses are in full agreement. The result
is a serenity that sees many visitors stay longer than they planned.
The availability of day treks, along with widespread use of English, makes Tat Lo by far the best base for getting to know the Bolaven Plateau, even though it actually sits against the foot of it, rather than up on top of it. The real name of Tat Lo village is Ban Saen Vang, but these days everybody just calls it Tat Lo.
1Sights
There are actually three waterfalls on this stretch of river: Tat Lo, Tat Hang and Tat Soung. Tat Lo, ironically, is the least impressive. In fact, all three are much less beautiful than they once were due to a new dam built upstream.
Note that dam authorities upstream release water in the evening and being in its path could be fatal. Check with locals about the release time before you visit the falls.
oTat SoungWATERFALL
(ຕາດສູງ parking 5000K)
Tat Soung is a 50m drop over the edge of the Bolaven Plateau, and though the dam has damaged these falls more than the others – slowing them to a trickle for most of the year – you can walk around the rocky top of the falls from where the views are fantastic. During heavy August to October rains, when they reach their full width, the falls themselves are quite spectacular too.
Tat Soung is 8km south of Tat Lo town, uphill almost the entire way. Along the way, 3.5km out of Tat Lo town, you'll pass a sign for the bottom of the falls at Ban Kiang Tat Soung (Kiang Tat Soung Village). (Note that the sign inside the village saying 'top' is a mistake.) It's a fun walk and a beautiful destination, and young guides will offer to walk you there for a small tip. It's about 1.5km round trip. Definitely don't leave anything in your motorcycle basket; chances are it won't be there when you get back.
Tat LoWATERFALL
(ຕາດເລາະ )F
Tat Lo, about 500m upriver from Tat Hang, is a little bigger than its neighbour, but probably won't knock your socks off. To get here, walk past Saise Resort's bungalows and follow the road to the end, then you need to scramble over some rocks. To reach the top of the falls, it's 1km up the eastern road from the village's junction to the signed turn-off.
Tat HangWATERFALL
(ຕາດຮັງ )F
Tat Hang is the waterfall you see from the bridge in town and some guesthouses. It's about 6m tall and wide, with several steps making it quite beautiful even in low flow. You can swim here; often along with hordes of locals.
Ban Houay HounVILLAGE
(ບ້ານຫ້ວຍຫຸນ )
You'll know you've arrived in this village, 24km from Tat Lo, by the 'Katu Weavers' sign or the tourists gathered around the traditional community meeting hall. The women here weave cotton textiles using backstrap looms held taut with their feet. Bold patterns are added with white beads. While red and black are the Katu tribe's traditional colours, they now weave from the whole rainbow to match tourist demand.
2Activities
The Tat Lo Guides Association, operated out of the Tat Lo Tourism Information Centre, offers highly recommended walks (half-/full day 80,000/160,000K per person) combining all three waterfalls – Tat Hang, Tat Lo and Tat Soung – with Katu, Tahoy and/or Suay ethnic-minority villages.
For something more adventurous they can also lead you to some more distant waterfalls and cultural stops, such as a cave with ancient stone caskets. Or, consider the two-day excursion to Phou Tak Khao mountain, with an overnight in an ethnic Suay village. This costs US$100/60 per person for a group of two/four people with local guides; English-speaking guides cost extra.
4Sleeping & Eating
oCaptain Hook Coffee BreakHOMESTAY$
(%020-98930406; www.facebook.com/hook.laos; homestay incl breakfast & dinner per person 50,000K)
Mr Hook (who, not surprisingly, has acquired the nickname 'Captain Hook' from foreigners) runs an excellent organic coffee farm and homestay 15km from Tat Lo. He's full of stories, and the unvarnished look at Katu village life you get will be quite enlightening; often shocking. His village is Ban Khokphung Tai, halfway between Ban Beng and Tha Taeng.
Short plantation and village tours cost 15,000K per person and trekking is also available from 200,000K per person.
oMr Vieng Coffee & HomestayHOMESTAY$
(%020-99837206; per person 20,000K, per meal 15,000K)
This is a fun and friendly homestay on a coffee plantation in Ban Houay Houn, right along Rte 20, 19km southwest of Tat Lo. Rooms are simple, but quite good for the price, and the ethnic Katu couple who run it give plantation tours (15,000K per person), and make and sell weavings.
Green GardenGUESTHOUSE$
(%020-96163699; tadlogarden@hotmail.com; r/ste 35,000/60,000K)
There are five rooms here under a big roof in a small patch of forest along the road heading north of town, plus one separate private-bath bungalow. Though ultra simple, they're great value. Long-time resident Em, an Austrian, uses this as his base for teaching how to wok-roast coffee beans.
FandeeGUESTHOUSE$
(www.fandee-guesthouse.com; r 50,000-60,000K; W)
Fandee means 'Sweet Dreams' in Lao, and the warm welcome from the French hosts helps make that a reality. There are four solid wooden bungalows with private porches and thatched roofs behind an attractive and relaxing terraced restaurant, which serves good toasted sandwiches. A communal vibe reigns with many local children hanging out, and they offer picnic excursions to Tat Soung.
Mama PapGUESTHOUSE$
(dm 20,000K)
It doesn't get cheaper or more basic than this popular backpacker crash pad smack in the centre of town. It's just mattresses with mozzie nets on a floor in a big second-floor room. Mama Pap promises 'big food for small kip' in the ground-floor restaurant and delivers with obscenely large plates. If Mama Pap is full, some of her neighbours have followed her example.
Tadlo LodgeRESORT$$
(%031-218889; souriyavincent@yahoo.com; r/ste incl breakfast from US$50/100; aW)
Situated above Tat Hang, about 1km from Tat Lo village, this is the only semi-fancy lodging around. The main building exudes some classic Lao style, with parquet floors and Buddha statuary, while rooms are stylish and comfortable with decks out front. Only the suite has air-conditioning. Animal lovers should note that the hotel keeps trekking elephants chained up most of the day.
Saise ResortLAOTIAN, THAI$
(mains 20,000-60,000K; h7am-8pm; W)
Saise Resort has good food (mostly Thai) served on a great deck with an awesome view of Tat Hang waterfall. It's worth making one trip out here during your stay.
8Information
Internet Access
Internet access is available at Tim Guesthouse (%034-211885; per min 200K).
Money
The only financial resource in this area is an ATM up at the highway, though guesthouses change money at terrible rates.
Tourist Information
Tat Lo Tourism Information Centre (%020-54455907; kouka222@hotmail.com; h8-11.30am & 1.30-4.30pm Mon-Fri, daily Nov-Feb) This helpful centre runs the Tat Lo Guides Association. It should be your first stop if you need a guide or info on local excursions, or plan to venture deeper into Salavan Province and beyond. It can also help you with public transport options around the Bolaven Plateau. Maps and brochures on the region are available. Kouka speaks English and is worth contacting in advance to book an English-speaking guide.
8Getting There & Away
Just say ‘Tat Lo’ at Pakse’s Southern Bus Terminal and you’ll be pointed to one of the nine daily buses to Salavan that stop on Rte 20 at Ban Khoua Set (30,000K, two hours), from where it's a 1.5km walk or moto-taxi ride (10,000K) to Tat Lo.
For Sekong (20,000K, one hour) or Attapeu (40,000K, three hours), your best bet is the morning bus that passes through Ban Beng, which is a 15,000K moto-taxi ride away from Tat Lo. In Ban Beng you can also catch some minibuses and sŏrngtăaou to Sekong and passing buses to Paksong (20,000K, one hour). The Tat Lo Tourism Information Centre can call to have buses to Vietnam stop and pick you up at Ban Khoua Set.
Sabai Sabai (%020-98556831), between the Tat Lo Tourism Information Centre and the bridge, has a few motorcycles for hire for 80,000K per day.
Salavan ສາລະວັນ
Pop 25,000 / %034
Even though Salavan (ສາລະວັນ; also spelt Saravan and Saravane) is just 30km from popular Tat Lo, foreign visitors are very rare. And though the town is no longer quite the backwater it used to be, thanks to development that's come on the heels of newly paved roads, it's still notable more for its remoteness than any traditional tourism draws. The best thing visitors can do here is get out and explore the ethnic diversity of the countryside.
While more than half of the population of Salavan Province is ethnically Lao (Loum and Soung), few are native to this area. The remainder of the 350,000 inhabitants belong to various Mon-Khmer groups, including the Tahoy, Lavai, Alak, Laven, Ngai, Tong, Pako, Kanay, Katu, Kado and Katang, the latter being expert weavers.
History
Once a Champasak kingdom outpost known as Muang Mam, the town was renamed Salavan (Sarawan in Thai) by the Siamese in 1828. It later became a French administrative centre and was all but destroyed in the Indochina War, when it bounced back and forth between Royal Lao Army and Pathet Lao occupation. It also suffered extensive bombing by American troops trying to disrupt the several branches of the Ho Chi Minh Trail that cut through Salavan Province.